1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates generally to the field of waste container liners. More specifically the present invention relates to a disposable liner dispenser which is removably secured to the floor of a waste container. The dispenser includes a cylindrical shell which, when mounted, has a vertical shell side wall, a shell top wall and a shell bottom wall. The shell top wall has a central dispensing opening. The shell top wall is preferably bowed upwardly to present a concave surface to the liners inside the dispenser to help funnel the liners to and through the dispensing opening. The shell side wall is preferably a double wall formed of an outer side wall extending downwardly from the shell top wall and an inner side wall extending upwardly from the shell bottom wall. The inner and outer side walls are sized to slide snugly against each other to create a firm friction engagement. The shell bottom wall is preferably bowed downwardly so that a convex surface approaches the waste container floor. This configuration elevates the lower corner of the shell side wall for ease of grasping with finger tips during dispenser removal. The liners are interconnected in a series for sequential dispensing.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
There have long been liners for waste containers to keep the containers clean and to provide a vessel for removal of waste from the containers. A number of product designers in the industry have recognized the inconvenience of storing liners in boxes separate from the container. One must walk to the liner box location, find the liner box, and bring a liner back to the waste container. Sometimes janitors and homeowners grow weary of and omit this task, resulting in sticky, germ-breeding waste being dumped directly into an unlined container, causing the container to become caked and unsanitary with noxious residue. These product designers have seen the advantages of providing a liner dispenser at the waste container floor, to sequentially dispense interconnected liners directly into the container, thereby eliminating the need of bringing them from another location. These dispensers have generally fallen into two categories: the type removably secured to the floor of an existing waste container floor, and the type manufactured into the waste container floor.
Leggio, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,340, issued on Mar. 19, 1991, teaches dispenser of the first category in the form of a cylindrical shell anchored horizontally to a waste container floor, such as with hook and loop fasteners. A roll of interconnected liners is dispensed through an opening in the tubular side wall of the shell. A problem with Leggio is that the shape and orientation of the cylindrical shell predisposes it to rolling movement, and the impact of waste items dropped into a deployed liner could laterally dislodge the shell from the floor fastener. Another problem with Leggio is that dispensing liners from the outside of the roll requires that the roll rotate about its axis during dispensing. This causes friction and drag within the shell, which could dislodge the shell from the container floor. Still another problem with Leggio is that its bulky size takes up trash space.
Taylor, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,950, issued on Oct. 11, 1994, teaches a collapsible pouch liner dispenser removably secured to the waste container floor with adhesive tape. A problem with Taylor, et al., is that the soft pouch dispenser is likely to tear with rough handling. Another problem is that the Taylor, et al. pouch would not fit into many smaller dispenser containers because of its size and shape. That is, a square pouch will not fit well into a small round container.
Darden, U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,157, issued on Feb. 2, 1993, teaches a dispenser box having a slotted top wall, stated to be lying or resting on the floor of a trash can and containing an interconnected string of liners. The last liner in the string is connected to a plate within the dispenser box which abuts the top wall around the slot to pull the empty dispenser box out of the trash can with the last liner. A problem with Darden is that the dispenser is wide and bulky.
The other category of dispenser, manufactured into the waste container floor, presents several disadvantages. One disadvantage is that the user must discard otherwise functional existing waste containers to purchase entirely new ones so equipped. Another disadvantage is that, should the dispenser become damaged or otherwise inoperable, the entire waste container must be replaced.
Such dispensers are disclosed several prior patents. Van Brackle, U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,041, issued on Apr. 11, 1995, teaches a trash liner pail having a pail floor with a central recess into which liners are placed, and a removable dispenser cover which has a dispensing slot and fits over the recess.
Yang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,123, issued on Sep. 14, 1982, teaches a garbage can with a slotted bottom wall and retaining brackets extending downwardly from the bottom wall for receiving a liner dispenser box with a registering slot.
Heck, U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,453, issued on Jun. 24, 1969, teaches a waste receptacle with a receptacle floor, and with a slotted false bottom member spaced above the floor by legs and sized to closely fit to the receptacle side walls, for retaining and dispensing liners sequentially into the waste receptacle.
Lemongelli, U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,935, issued on May 26, 1992, teaches a trash receptacle with a receptacle floor having a downwardly extending cavity for receiving a liner dispensing box.
Lemongelli, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,507, issued on Jul. 25, 1989, teaches a trash receptacle having a receptacle floor with a central port for receiving a liner dispensing box.
Farrington, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,391, issued on Sep. 26, 1989, teaches a liner roll rotatably mounted onto a holding structure secured to the container floor, and alternatively teaches a waste container enclosing a stack of liners, each liner containing a removable insert sized to snugly fit against the walls of the waste container to hold the liners in place until each is used.
Other patents issuing for in-floor dispenser structures include Cortesi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,363, issued on Jan. 17, 1989; Patterson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,300,082, issued on Jan. 24, 1967; Battaglia, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,505, issued on Sep. 11, 1990; Maki, U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,503, issued on Apr. 2, 1974; Yurks, U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,226, issued on Jan. 26, 1988; Lang, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,490, issued on Dec. 2, 1982; and Bourgeois, U.S. Pat. No. 3,481,112, issued on Dec. 2, 1969.
Finally, several types of wet tissue dispensers have been developed over the years. These include Stoltze, U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,504, issued on Apr. 11, 1967; Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,508, issued on Jul. 25, 1989; Nocek, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,800, issued on Feb. 21, 1989; Sedjwick, U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,129, issued on Aug. 26, 1980; Doyle, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,047, issued on Oct. 16, 1979. A problem with these dispensers is that there is no teaching or provision for dispensing liners into a waste container.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a disposable liner dispenser for a waste container which removably mounts to the waste container floor for convenient liner deployment.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a disposable dispenser which smoothly funnels the liners through a dispensing opening at the top of the dispenser.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a disposable dispenser which is easily grasped by the user for removal and replacement.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a disposable dispenser which is compact, durable, easy to replace and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.